1995 Daewoo Espero Reviews

1995 Daewoo Espero GLX 1.5 DOHC petrol from Philippines

Summary:

I may like KPop, Korean dramas, and Korean food, but we'll always stick with Japanese cars

Faults:

When the car was still new (around 4 or 5 months old), the car did not want to shut off.

Around 1996 or 1997, the doors did not want to lock.

Air-con failed twice: First incident (June 2000) was when the aircon was just breathing warm air. The compressor was just fixed and overhauled. The second incident was worse. There was no air at all. Took us a month before we could take it to the shop (December 2000 - January 2001).

The stock radio could not play cassette tapes at that time.

October 29, 2001 - The suspension acted up after my mom had a minor operation at the hospital. Fixed at a gas station somewhere in Makati.

January 17, 2002 - I still remember this day. I was in Grade 2 at that time and we were having our First Communion practices. I noticed that my parents were taking a long time before I could be picked up. I was crying and crying because they could not fetch me, only to find out that the car stalled in the middle of Ayala Avenue. The car suffered engine failure and had to be towed to the repair shop. We lost all hope of having the car repaired after almost a week.

General Comments:

This car originally belonged to my grandparents. It was passed on to my parents in the beginning of 2000. When I was in Prep, Grade 1 and most of my Grade 2 days, this car took me to school almost every day (except Wednesdays because of the number coding scheme), my parents' workplace, and almost every weekend to church and to the mall.

The car looked nice with its simple design, and inside the car was comfortable, in fact it was roomy and had ample legroom. It even had cold air-con when it runs. However if you have to look under the hood and if you're gonna drive the car already, you are left with nothing but bad impressions.

Stepping on the clutch was tough and the gearbox did not respond well. The engine was under-powered for this kind of sedan. With all the problems we had, all we can say it was unreliable. At that time we had other cars (Japanese ones from Toyota and Mitsubishi) from the late 1980s and the early 1990s, and all of them outlived the Espero under our watch. Transfarm, who was the sole distributor of Daewoo here in the Philippines, only had less than 3 dealers in this country. Of course there was one here in Metro Manila, but the staff dealing with service and dealer support were incompetent.

No offense, but this car left my parents traumatized with buying Korean cars even until now when Korean cars have improved with their styling and build quality. They fear that if they buy a Korean car again, we will encounter problems again. They only consider Japanese, particularly Toyota, which I don't mind because I am also into Toyotas. I like KPop, Korean dramas, Korean food, and I'm even in love with a Korean girl in class, but for Korean cars then I'll think first. If I find a particular model of either Hyundai or Kia, a nice one in terms of beauty and reliability, then I might give them a second chance for a change. I'll only consider these brands, but GM Chevrolet, which is now the equivalent of Daewoo these days, then most probably not.